Emerging Tribal Identity

Over the years in India, sociologists, anthropologists, and the non-tribal masses have, deliberately or inadvertently, developed an image of a 'tribal' as that of a sub-human being, fully deprived of the attributes of a civilized life. One such tribe is the Mina tribal society of India's Eastern Rajasthan. The Minas lived in isolation for a long period of history. When India's Criminal Tribe Act was dropped, the Minas began to come closer to the regional caste culture. The constitutional safeguards and securities guaranteed to the Minas have brought about certain social and cultural changes among them. This has also changed the image of the Minas in particular and the other tribal groups in general. This new image has created concerns about their social and cultural identity. The Minas have now made their entry into government services. They have also attained some of the characteristics of modernity. This present work studies the developments among the Mina tribal society of Eastern Rajasthan. The book will be of special interest to researchers, policy makers, and bureaucrats concerned with tribal development.